IDS visits Corsham group which helps military wives find jobs

Iain Duncan Smith, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, visits Wiltshire today

Iain Duncan Smith, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, visits award-winning group Recruit for Spouses at its Corsham offices today.

Recruit for Spouses is a social enterprise employment agency specifically set up to provide a support network for military spouses looking for work across the country.

It was founded in 2009 by military wife and former journalist Heledd Kendrick and aims to tackle prejudices against military spouses in the workplace.

In November it won the Prime Minister David Cameron's Big Society Award and he praised its “inspirational” work.

Within the first six months 1,200 people registered with the company. It now has 5,000 people on its books and it has helped 450 back into work over the last two years.

Mrs Kendrick said some spouses may not be selected for jobs because employers are aware that they might have to leave the area to travel with the army, navy or air force.

She said: “So many wives and partners go to interviews and so many are told ‘can you use a different address?’ I couldn’t walk into a job centre and claim for job seeker’s allowance because they would say I had voluntarily left my last job.

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“Job centres provide free training and free support so many of us would use it as a springboard to other things. The biggest thing we need from the government is help to create awareness that there is a problem out there, and it has been a problem for 30 years.”